Knitting In Public

It’s been a rough couple of weeks. Sunday, March 2, I woke up with a bit of a stomach ache. A little higher up than usual, but not a big deal. I figured I was just hungry. We went out to brunch after church, and instead of feeling better, I felt much worse and sent my son to get some 7-Up. I slept fitfully most of the day, trying to get comfortable. By late evening I was taking Tylenol and Advil to relieve the discomfort, and in the wee hours of Monday morning I was checking when Urgent Care would open. In the process, I discovered that if you have “severe abdominal pain” you should not go to Urgent Care, you should go to the ER. So, at about 5 a.m. on Monday, DH drove me to the Emergency Room. (I had last been there 22 years ago - almost exactly - to give birth to DD who was born March 3 at about 6:30 a.m.) I discovered that I was having a gallbladder attack, and that I had a gallstone at the entrance to the gallbladder and that most likely it would have to come out. I had an unexplained elevated white count, too. I was told to see my Dr. in 2 days. I slept most of the two days, went to see the Dr. and discovered that the white count was even higher. He suggested a couple of days in the hospital with IV antibiotics and then likely removal of the gallbladder the following week. By the end of the day Wednesday, the Dr. wanted me in the hospital. Everyone seemed to think I was there to remove the gallbladder, and the sooner the better. After all the consults and the like, it was decided to remove my gallbladder on Friday, March 7 (my first surgery ever). DH came down to stay at the hospital during surgery (with the rest of the crew running the business and house without us). The surgery took a couple of hours and went well - they were able to take it lapriscopically (just barely). However, I had some funky heart rhythms in recovery and they thought I was having a heart attack. I was moved to Cardiac Intensive Care unit for 3 days while they monitored me and determined what was wrong. DH stayed with me for almost the whole time - he took a couple of hours off for showering and changing clothes. Eva H. came to stay with me (and kick DH out) for a few hours. She brought me the fun balloons shown above. I was not aware that she used to be a nurse! We did get to impress her with a medical procedure she had not seen before - to get my heart rate back to normal. I spent an additional night in the ‘regular’ side of the cardiac unit, and was finally discharged on Tuesday, March 11.

Strength and stamina are slowly returning. The surgical recovery seems to be going really well. I now have more daily pills to take, and a bunch of follow-up appointments to see that everything is working well. Chris, Doug and Tonya really held down the fort while DH & I were in the hospital. I received some lovely flowers and the balloons - all of which were appreciated! Being stuck in the hospital is definitely not my idea of fun, and it certainly no place to get any rest! DH said that next time we have a vacation, he gets to choose the place! (As if this was a vacation, or that I had “chosen” it!) I do have to say that the staff was fabulous and the lab techs definitely know their job for drawing blood (always got it on the first try, and the least painful)!

Guess what?!

There are jingle wedding bells in my future!

Remember this very intelligent, good-looking guy?

An engagement was announced on November 17th. They are planning for a summer ‘08 wedding! A jam-packed summer for my kiddo - graduation on June 6th, being part of the wedding party for her roommate on July 5, her own wedding sometime late July or early August (still working on the venue), and starting law school towards the end of August. If anyone can do it, she can!

So, do ya wanna see a better photo of that bling? (yeah, I thought so!)

It is oh. so. pretty! (Good choice, Chris!)

We’re thrilled, of course!

So - as for knitting. Hmm. Taking a back seat to finding a venue and getting a date. Many summer dates are already full. Once the date is set, most of my work is done - but trying to find a venue long-distance doesn’t work, so I’ve been her eyes and ears for the search.

I’m still trying to make some progress on Christmas knitting, but I really could use another two or three weeks’ time - anyone know how to work that sticky time/space continuum?

Last weekend I managed to escape daily life and head off to a ‘quilting’ retreat. No, I don’t really quilt (although I have some material that is headed in that direction, one day). The retreat center is set up for quilting: lots of lights, tables to set up your sewing machine, irons & ironing boards, etc. But that doesn’t mean you have to quilt:

This is Shelley & Jody (oops - hope her name isn’t spelled Jodi….) I have been on this kind of retreat with Shelley before, but this time I had a chance to meet her daughter.

Jody was painting Christmas figurines. Shelley did some quilting (the only one who did!) but also did some knitting.

Diane & Courtney did some scrapbooking. Diane was putting photos in albums, and we convinced her she should consider getting into scrapbooking! Courtney shared her supplies and gave Diane some quick pointers. I’ve been on these retreats with both Courtney and Diane as well (Diane was the one who invited me). We have a lot of fun, chat, and snack half the night.

Courtney has a new reason to scrapbook:

Her new baby, Addison. What a cutie! Addison was able to visit us for a few hours. Such a happy baby!

This retreat center was a new place for us. We all decided this was much nicer than the place we’ve been to before - better beds, quieter, cleaner, nicer setup. It is a bit more expensive, but was worth it. We had the place to ourselves, but we’re not sure if it would be as nice if we had to share with another group.

Diane and I were up until 2:30 a.m. Reminds me of the ‘old days’ - except that I can’t recover from those late nights as easily as I used to! Despite that, I didn’t get as much knitting done as I’d like. Perhaps I’m just a slooow knitter. 

I’ll post progress photos tomorrow, but here’s a teaser: the swatches I made for the Hanami stole that will (hopefully) be a Christmas gift for my sister.

Jaggerspun Zephyr wool-silk, Curry color. Top swatch is size 3 needles, bottom is size 4. The bottom swatch I used the beaded cast on and did most of the ruffle edging called for on the other end of the stole. Totally unimpressed. I think I’m going to use some kind of beaded cast off instead.

Beaded edge close-up. Still not entirely convinced I like these beads with this yarn. I go back and forth on it. They match up pretty well, depending on the angle at which you view them. I know I’m a matchy-matchy kind of person - either it should be the same color, or it should be wildly different. This was the best match for the yarn, though. Perhaps I will like it better in the completed stole.

We’ve said “good-bye” to the boys, but I haven’t updated any photos of the girls.

Google.  (I know it’s hard to tell all the black & white ones apart, especially just from a face shot.) She’s going to look just like her mom, Lucy.

The puppies are growing, and are ‘catching on’ to housebreaking. They play with each other every chance they get, sometimes fairly aggressively. They are chewing everything teething, and we’re trying to deal with that. They get excited and anticipate dinner and water, so they end up making you spill because they jump all over you as you try to put it on the floor!

Emma (formerly Clover). She has become Chris’s dog. They have bonded and she responds more readily to him. She is showing signs of being a fantastic hunter. She was always bigger than the other puppies, and she has continued that trend - she is quite the bruiser. She is currently 15 pounds (to Google’s 12). Both puppies are incredibly fast! They can already keep up with Lucy (who I have thought is one of the fastest dogs I’ve ever seen), and their legs are so much shorter! I’m betting they will be faster than mom in no time.

In two weeks, they leave us for “imprinting.” They will be exposed to the scents that they will be hunting in later life. They will also meet up with at least 3 of their siblings, and possibly the entire litter will be sent for imprinting and will be reunited. I’m so curious to find out if they ‘recognize’ each other, and the trainer said it would be interesting to see the different characteristics of the puppies. I hope to be able to give you an update on that as well!

Off to do some work, and hopefully some knitting. Not a lot of that going on around here right now!

Last weekend we went to see M for her school’s family weekend:

We met with some friends:

We attended some tours and classes, and had lunch at the Student Center:

M & I went on the “ducks” for a tour of Beantown. It was raining, but we sat in the back so we could take photos without obstruction. We were pleased and surprised to discover they provided us with rain ponchos!

We went on the Charles and saw this cool bridge:

I was intrigued by the ’ship front’ on the structure. The guide said locals call this the “salt and pepper” bridge, because there are two of these sections with the ‘tower’ that from a distance looks like salt and pepper shakers!

We also went by Beacon Hill. I was rather surprised to discover it’s actually a hill! (Maybe that’s a ‘duh’ moment for everyone else, but it never occured to me… there are plenty of places mis-named in that way.) Sorry for the fuzzy photo, but it’s all I could get while moving along on the Charles!

We left the Charles and went on a land tour. We caught a glimpse of the U.S.S. Constitution.

The line was short since it is off-season and was a rainy, icky day. Our guide said you get a longer, better tour if you can go on such a day. I had always thought the U.S.S. Constitution was a battleship! I was quite surprised to see it is really a ‘tall ship’. I also did not know this was the ship they call “Old Ironsides.” Here’s a better picture.

I love the buildings and architecture there - reminding me of our country’s beginnings. The city is so beautiful, so colonial!

Trinity Church:

We returned just in time to make it to the Glass Lab for our tour. Unfortunately, the tour was not as wonderful as expected, and we didn’t get to see anyone blowing glass.

I managed to get some Harlot-esque sock photos with some incredibly smart people:

as well as a “proof of life” photo:

As we were sitting on a bench in the Infinite, M caught sight of “that Chris kid’s” parents. We had plans to meet them the following day for lunch, but had an impromptu meeting in the hallway. We chatted for quite a while, then decided to move over to the Student Center and get some dinner. A nice evening “meeting the parents.” (Sorry, no photos! What was I thinking?!)

The following day was sunny and cool. We had breakfast on campus, and I managed a sock shot with another incredibly smart person:

(Isn’t it nice how they humor me?)

We had our photo taken with Tim, their mascot:

We went back to the dorm to see M’s room, then met with Chris and his folks for our scheduled lunch. We took the bus to Harvard Square and had lunch at a mexican restaurant. We returned to campus and took some photos in front of the famous buildings. That evening, after dinner, we attended the A Capella concert. Outstanding music! Of course, I purchased some of the cd’s available after the concert.

We returned to our hotel, and I flew home the next morning. M was a wonderful host. We look forward to another adventure in June!

At our Monday knitting group on October 8, we had a surprise baby shower for Aimee and her soon-to-be-born daughter. (Mega ultrasounds have confirmed it’s a girl.)

I’m a terrible photo-historian. I got so excited to see what everyone gave her/them, I forgot to take photos!

Valerie made these wonderful mohair booties…

We had lots of fun and laughter. It was hard to take photos since the Caribou is so full of windows!

We even hijacked these two ladies:

Heidi and Jill (or Jill and Heidi?) - wonderful women who unwittingly chose “our” Caribou to sit and knit on Monday at 1:00…. Lynn invited herself to join them and explained they were being absorbed into our group and our baby shower by virtue of being knitters in the wrong right place at the wrong right time.

Since Aimee’s been on bed rest, she’s been getting some serious knitting done. (I’m not sure how she is able to knit laying down - I sure have trouble with that!) She decided to try Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Baby Surprise Jacket:

Can you believe it’s her first BSJ? Isn’t it beautiful?! What a lucky baby to wear this gorgeous sweater.

Aimee also received gifts from Lynn (lots of gifts from Lynn!) and Angel, and there were several “big sister” gifts for Shelby when she arrived with Dad. (Again, apologies for lack of photos!)

On Sunday, October 14, 2007 our last two boys left us to go to their new home.*

Sketch, and

Yogi.

No, this is not two photos of the same dog. Look closely. It sure is tough with 4 black-and-white dogs to tell the difference, especially with only a face shot! Sketch has more white on his face, and a “full” nose of white - Yogi is more like half a nose.

Both puppies went to the same place. It’s beautiful and they have lots of room to run. *The puppies will be evaluated and then one will go into a hunting/guide operation (where his life will be filled with hunting as he was bred to do, and in the off season he will have a home life with a family too) and the other will go into law enforcement as a drug/ammunition dog (he will also have a home life, and ultimately “hunt” - just for something other than birds).

Doesn’t Sketch look great? (That’s Yogi’s leg at the edge.)

It feels good to know that all the puppies have good homes.

Yesterday, two of our puppies went to their new homes.

Jigsaw, our only liver & white male. He is a mellow fellow and I’m sure his new family will love him. They’ve seen his photo on this blog, and have been eagerly following his growth, waiting for the day he could move “home.” Here he is with one of his new family members:

Now he has a new name: Rusty!

We hope that Rusty and his new family will have many wonderful years together!

Later last night, our second puppy went to his new home.

Dexter. He is probably the smartest of the puppies. Just before he left us, he figured out how to go down a single stair (he’ll still need to learn how to go down a staircase). I hope to get it up on You Tube - he decided to leap down the one stair. He is also very fast. The puppies’ mom, Lucy, is also the fastest dog I’ve ever seen and it looks like Dex will be just as fast.

Here’s Dex with his new family:

They’re not quite sure yet whether he’ll remain Dexter or perhaps change his name to Dodger. Either name will be excellent!

Both puppies go to loving homes, and they both happen to have a dog there already, so the puppies will have canine companionship (and competition?) as well as the love and attention of families with children.

As hard as it is to give them away, I’m confident that these boys will have happy homes.

There hasn’t been much time for knitting this weekend, as I’ve been on puppy doodie duty and have been spending much of my weekend washing floors (from the “accidents”) and washing puppies (from rolling/walking/playing/fighting in the “accidents”), and playing with puppies to keep them from being bored and yipping all day….  It’s a good thing they are so cute -

This is Dexter, Sketch, Yogi, Clover, Jigsaw and Google. There’s even a few eyes open in this one.

They love to pile up when sleeping, although sometimes they do self-segregate:

Sometimes our neighbors stop by for a “puppy fix”

I think they all had a good time.

These guys are just plain adorable (when they’re not making a mess)

So, while not a lot of knitting has been happening, I do have some to show you -

The “plain jane” socks are done! (Pardon the pasty white legs that never see the sun.) This is my second pair for SOS 2007. I’m waaay behind my “goal” of a pair every 2 weeks, which would have been 6 pair. The SOS 2007 is over at the autumn equinox, Sept. 21. Less than a week for 4 pairs isn’t happening in this house! So, I will need to revise my goal, and perhaps hope to finish a few more pairs before the end of the week. I have the Horcrux socks which are almost done, and the Cathedral socks (one done, the other about 1/3 done), plus at least one more with an orphan sock. I’ll give it a shot!

In the meantime, here’s some more finished socks:

These were finished quite while ago - I call them my Harlot socks. I started these last October when Mary, Sue & I went to see the Yarn Harlot in Eau Claire (you have to have a sock OTN when you see the Harlot, you know!) and finishing was delayed by Christmas knitting. They are officially my first FO for 2007, I finished them up for the UFO Challenge. This is Meilenweit Cotton Fun (or Cotton Fondo, I can’t remember now) and Jean fell in love with the colorway. Apparently it is now discontinued. These are something like 45% wool and 45% cotton with a little elastic or something else thrown in. Very comfortable. These are the socks I was working on when Tracey admired my knitting, spawning the offer for the above navy plain jane socks.

These were round 2 of Sock Madness. Made from Lorna’s Laces Sport in Rainbow colorway (I think). I wondered how these would fit, but they’re pretty comfy. I really liked how the cuff came out. The rest of the design gets lost in the variegated color, but I could see making this pair again in a solid. Very fun, but this was my last competition round as I was paired against the #1 knitter from round 1. I still received all the patterns from Sock Madness, so it wasn’t such a stinging defeat.

In addition to socks, I am working on the Mittenskal Mystery Mitten KAL. Here’s a progress shot of clue 1: (yes, I know clue 3 is released tomorrow…..)

This will be the cuff when it grows up.

Also OTN, I do have a new sock I’m working on (but will in no way be finished before the end of SOS):

This is Pomatomus. A fascinating pattern, but I do have to watch the chart so knitting on this is a little slower. I think they’ll be gorgeous when done. This is a Cookie A. pattern and is free on Knitty.com along with several other patterns she’s done. I have several of hers on my “to do” list. Good thing I have such a huge stash of sock yarn

Well, I have to run now, someone’s waiting for another bath!

Did you know that you can write, import photos, and click “save and continue editing” but that it really isn’t “saved” anywhere, and with an impatient click of the wrong button, you can destroy your nearly-complete post? Yeah. So the post will have to wait until tomorrow now - puppies are calling and lots left to do before bed. If I can sleep. If I don’t dream of screwing up posts all night. See you tomorrow.